South Central Railway (SCR) will invest ₹2,500 crore in major infrastructure development, redevelopment of stations and improving passenger amenities by 2020.

The electrification of tracks alone will cost at least ₹1,200 crore while station redevelopment will involve ₹700 crore. In addition, expanding railway station terminals in Cherlapalli and Lingampalli will see about ₹300 crore investment.

Stating that the SCR is on a fast-track development and improving in ratings on providing amenities, train punctuality and services to passengers, General Manager Vinod Kumar Yadav said all-round infrastructure creation and improvement was the focus in the next few years.

Station redevelopment

Secunderabad and Vijayawada stations have been shortlisted among the 29 for station redevelopment in phase 1 by the Ministry of Railways. The public-private-partnership projects will be implemented by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA). The tender process will be done in the next 3-6 months, the General Manager told BusinessLine in an interview.

Similarly, the development of Tirupati station is on fast track with two firms- Simplex and Shapoorji Pallonji shortlisted. The project estimated to cost ₹490 crore will include a 8 storey budget hotel. The NBCC and RLDA are implementing it on a PPP mode, Yadav said. The recent Union Cabinet decision revising the lease agreement to 99 years from the earlier proposed 40 years has given the necessary impetus to the participation of private and public sector developers. Across the Indian Railway network about 400 stations are to be redeveloped in a phased manner.

On its part the SCR has takenThe SCR has on its own taken up redevelopment of 5 stations-, Guntur, Kurnool, Guntakal, Warangal and Vijayawada. The estimated budget for each station development is ₹30 crore. Work will be completed by March 2019.

Another station under renovation and expansion is Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. A budget of ₹40 crore has been earmarked and the NBCC will execute it, the GM added.

Electrification

At ₹1 crore per km spend for electrification, the SCR has taken up the task of achieving complete electrification of its track network by 2022. During 2017-18, it has done 600 km and in the current fiscal, an equal distance will be completed.

SCR has planned to complete electrification of its entire network of 5,992 km by 2012-22 in tune with the Mission Electrification of Indian Railways. As on date 3,250 km route has been electrified. “ We are on target to complete 90 per cent of the entire track length by March 2021,” Yadav said.

Referring to the MMTS network, Yadav said the two new lines of Ramachandrapuram to Tellapur and Medchal to Secunderabad should be ready by December and commissioned in January 2019.

To overcome the existing saturated situation on the main railway sections doubling/tripling of track work is being undertaken. SCR has commissioned 377 kms of new rail lines, 28.15 kms of rail line doubling and 33.65 kms of the third line in the past four years.. The third line work is on the critical Balharshah-Kazipet- Vijayawada section.

Infra creation

On new infrastructure creation the SCR will take up Cherlapalli Railway station as a major Rail terminal to decongest the other rail hubs of Hyderabad city is being taken up. The ₹226 cr project is expected to get the final nod from the Railway Board by December. After that in two years it can be implemented and operationalised, said N Madhusudana Rao, Principal Chief Operation Manager.

At present, the Cherlapalli station expansion work is being undertaken as part of Hyderabad MMTS Phase II Project. Six platforms are being provided at the station.

The efforts put in at Lingampally station as a terminus for more trains is yielding good results in train movement and improving punctuality as well as slightly decongestant Secunderabad station, he added.

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